Doomed Days
by Slimey one
Summary: Wolverine must team up with the most unlikely parner: Toad!
1. The Survivor

Chapter 1  
  
I sat in at the bar, sipping a soda I had ordered not too long ago. I had to be careful; there was no hope if I was caught. There would only be one chance, and I had to fix what had happened to my people.  
  
I am Toad, a mutant and one-time leader of the Brotherhood of evil mutants. About a year ago, the human race finally waged all-out war on mutant kind, capturing all of us and locking us in concentration camps. But, I escaped.  
  
I had watched as my comrades were taken, one by one, and each locked inside of those stupid collars, you know the ones, they take away our powers. I managed to fight my way out, but I was the only one to escape. So, I move onward, in search of the one mutant I know that can help me resolve this situation: Charles Xavier. If I can free him, he can use his powers to make the humans release the other mutants, and we can escape this horrible problem somehow. But, I had to find him first.  
  
But, There were always problems here on the outside. People are always hunting mutants, me in particular. As the leader of the Brotherhood, I had developed quite a reputation. And today was not a day where it would be forgotten.  
  
"It's him!" A human at the door shouted, drawing a gun.  
  
"Crap," I muttered. I snapped my tongue out, taking the gun from his hand. In an instant, more guns were drawn and ready. 


	2. Parnters?

Chapter 2  
  
There I was, surrounded by guys with guns pointed at my head. Two guys were standing in front of the door, so there was only one hope. I had to fight my way out.  
  
Splat! I used my powers to shoot slime out of my mouth at the closest shooter. The guns started shooting immediately. Up I went, jumping to the ceiling. I had barely dodged the bullets, and was now hanging from a ceiling fan. I lifted the gun I had taken from my first assailant and shot out the lamps in the bar, darkening the room. Some one fired a few more shots as the lights went out, but none of them came close to hitting me.  
  
Quietly, I dropped down to from the ceiling, landing back on the bar. I hopped forward, landing just outside of the door. Unfortunately, my aggressors had also decided to retreat from the dark bar, and now I was being followed out into the raging streets of New York City.  
  
Blam Blam Blam! Bullets were being fired; entire clips were being emptied out in an attempt to capture me. You see; the bounty on mutants had gotten to be pretty high, and the more infamous you were, the higher the bounty. I was worth at least a grand at this point, as I moved closer and closer to the Mutant Control Headquarters.  
  
The bullets were ricocheting off of walls and hitting pavement, I wasn't safe on the ground. Again, I was thankful to be a freak when I jumped up, grabbing a windowsill on the second floor of a building, to propel myself up to the tenth floor. No one could follow me up here.  
  
And to think, Xavier used to protect these people. What was that man thinking? They obviously didn't want us around, so why should we care? If only Asteroid M hadn't been destroyed, then all of us mutants could live there in peace.  
  
I kicked hard, shattering a window in front of me. Nothing made me angrier than the fact we could have stopped this, if only Xavier had listened. Magneto told him that humans and mutants couldn't peacefully coexist, but he refused to admit that he was wrong. So, he and his X-men kept fighting against the Brotherhoods' attempts to conquer the human race.  
  
Not that we were any better, of course. I know now that there was no point in our trying to fight the humans; we were only causing the powder keg to build up faster. When Magneto built asteroid M, I thought that we had found a peaceful solution, but it was gone before we could even start living there.  
  
And, as leader of the Brotherhood, I had made some mistakes of my own. Why did I think that I could fill Magneto's shoes? Granted, I had toughened up a bit, but I was nowhere near as powerful as he was. Perhaps if I had used my influence for good instead of evil.  
  
Now, however, it seemed I had no choices. My fellow mutants were all being held prisoner, and I was the only one who could help them, the only friend any of them had on the outside. Even a slime ball like me knows what he has to do when a situation like this arose; you fight until you can't fight any more. I finally got to the top of the building and sat on the ledge, overlooking the city. I had to find the mutant concentration camp here, I was certain that this would be where I could get some reinforcements.  
  
"But, that's like looking for a needle in a haystack," I said, snapping my tongue out at a fly that had buzzed just a little to close Yes, it is disgusting, but a guy's got to eat. It seemed that I had no hope but to set out and blindly search for a camp I would never find.  
  
Down below, I could no longer see the people who had been on my tail. It appeared now that I was safe. Then, I heard a door open behind me.  
  
Like lightning, I turned and shot my tongue, snapping a gun out of a man's hand. I pulled it out of my mouth, aiming it at the next person to move through the door. He got the gun shot right out of his hand, along with a few fingers. My next few shots were a bit more accurate, so no more fingers were lost.  
  
Soon enough, men surrounded me. With no guns to fire, they had been forced to fight me hand-to-hand. They had taken up what they could for weapons, be it chains or pipes. It was like fighting a gang.  
  
One of them rushed me. He was a hairy, muscular brute, with a pair of sunglasses and a leather jacket. In fact, they all looked like bikers and street punks. Not many normal guys would be willing to hunt a mutant, but I guess these guys really needed the money. Either way, he was no challenge. I kicked forward with both feet, holding onto the ledge with my hands, and sent the big guy flying back into his buddies.  
  
Another one came at me, this one with a knife in his hand. I hopped up, spin-kicking him in the jaw and knocking him clear off of the ledge and onto a balcony three floors down. His friends backed off a little. You don't want to fall off of a twenty-story building.  
  
Then, a group charged me. "Boys, there's plenty of Toad to go around, you'll all get a turn," I said, tripping one and punching another in the stomach. I slimed the third, then pulled the pipe out of his hand and smacked him over the head with it.  
  
Their numbers were wavering now. I hopped up high, maybe twenty feet, and shot lots of slime down, encasing them all in the goo. Again, I know that it's very gross.  
  
With my enemies defeated, I hopped to another rooftop. Then, I was surprised to find a set of claws put right up to my throat. Apparently I wasn't the only mutant not to be captured. Wolverine had escaped, too.  
  
"Wolverine, how are you?" I asked nervously. He put his claws a little closer, as if I had made him mad.  
  
"I've been better, frog-face," he said. Wolverine never really liked me. "Saw you fighting those guys in the bar. Guess you've got more skills then I give you credit for."  
  
Yeah, I do, I thought, "So, what brings you up here?" I inquired. Wolverine pulled his claws back and sat down on the ledge. "I never thought I would say this, but I need your help. I need some back up to break into the Mutant Control Headquarters without getting killed. Once I'm in there, I can find out where the other mutants are."  
  
"Cool, you know where the place is?"  
  
"Nope, that's where you come in, slime ball."  
  
When he said he needed my help, I hadn't thought he meant it the way he did. Reluctantly, I marched downtown and turned myself in to the police. Wolverine followed closely.  
  
"Hello, boys," I said, sliming the captain in the face. I rolled behind a desk, using it to shield myself from some gunfire. Then I hopped along, staying low, as cans and bottles scattered along the desks were blown to bits above me. A cop cut around a desk and leveled his gun at me. My tongue shot forward, disarming my foe. I lifted the gun up myself and leaped up firing the gun until it was out of ammo. A lot of cops were wounded, but none were killed.  
  
With my entrance as the distraction, Wolverine came rushing in. Bullets grazed his skin, but he healed almost instantly. His claws came out, and he sliced the barrels right off of their guns. I jumped out, kicking one of the cops back over a desk. The two of us circled around, taking each cop out until only we were left.  
  
The room cleared, I hopped up and accessed the computer. They had some defenses in their system to keep me out, but I hacked my way through. I had become a Jack-of-all-Trades in the past years, making my resume range anywhere from thug to evil genius. Soon, I found the file we were looking for.  
  
My eyes scrolled down the page until I found the information that I needed. The new Mutant Control Headquarters was underneath the harbor! Who would have thought to look there?  
  
"How long can you hold your breath?" I asked. 


	3. The lockup

Chapter 3  
  
We took all of the back roads we could, trying not to be detected by anyone before we needed to be. Soon enough, we had reached the harbor and were swimming our way to the bottom.  
  
"Once we get down there," I had said, "There will be a latch that we can open to access the air lock. Once we use it, we'll be detected, so it's important to take cover the second we're in."  
  
Now, we swam down low, and I was thankful that I had a toad's lungs, so I could swim down this deep. Thousands of fish went by, swimming along as if nothing was happening around them. Animals are funny that way; they never seem to really understand what's going on around them.  
  
We got to the base, and I began to feel around for the air lock. Sure enough, it was where I thought it would be. I opened the latch and we slipped in.  
  
Water drained out very quickly, and we could hear the alarms going off. Red lights were flashing and the air lock doors swung open. We ran through quickly, and the guards were turning the corner. Had to hide...  
  
They met in front of the air lock, but couldn't see where the two of us had hidden. There were four guards there, not too much of a problem. So, I came swinging down from the ceiling, kicking two of our foes in the face. Wolverine took the other two out in much the same way, and we were alone again.  
  
I walked up to one of the fallen guards and lifted up his radio. I cleared my throat and said, "False alarm, I think that the air lock needs some repairs."  
  
There was an awkward silence, then, "Okay, we'll have someone look at it tomorrow." When we were cleared, we set out toward the center of the compound. We ran into a few more guards, but they put up as little of a fight as the first ones did, so it was mostly smooth sailing.  
  
Then, Wolverine got a nervous feeling and we hid in an empty bedroom, shutting the door behind us. Some guards decided to go to bed, so the rooms would enter lock down mode. "That doesn't sound good," I said. All of the doors locked, and we were stuck in.  
  
Wolverine clawed at the door for five minutes, but gave up, "It's made of adamantium, and my claws won't break it. I guess we're stuck here for the night."  
  
Neither one of us was very tired, so we stayed up and played cards all night. "You know, I always thought you were a bit of a stiff, but you're an okay guy, Wolverine," I said.  
  
He looked a little angry, "You've got some nerve," he said, "I'm not your friend and you know that. We're on the same side this one time, and that's it. This is bigger than you or me; I couldn't fight them all alone, no matter how much I wanted to. Just remember, when this is all over, you're my enemy again."  
  
That hurt, it really did. "You don't understand me, do you? I'm a freak!"  
  
"Got news for you, bub, all of us mutants are supposed to be freaks," he replied.  
  
"No, not that," I said, "I'm a freak, even among other mutants. No one wants anything to do with poor old Toad," for a moment, I felt as though I may actually cry, "I'm not strong or fast, I don't have any powers that could be useful in a fight."  
  
Wolverine chuckled, and then set a card down. "We have more in common than you think," he said. I scooped up another card and looked at him. "You know, these claws aren't a power, and if I didn't have them, my powers wouldn't be much more impressive than yours."  
  
"In fact," he continued, "We have a lot in common. When I lived in Canada, they told me I had no where to go and that as log as I did what they said, they would give me a place to stay, like the Brotherhood did for you. Then, you got to be in charge, and you still had that negative self-image burned into your mind."  
  
Interesting theory, I thought. I tossed down another card and said, "Maybe you're right, but that's why I've worked so hard. I've made some bad choices, but I've cleaned up my act. And, when this is all over, I want to find a way for us mutants to live in peace, some way that I can have a drink without being shot at and walk through town without a worrying about being hunted down. Is that too much to ask?"  
  
Wolverine didn't say anything for a minute, as if he were thinking hard about something. Then, he laid down another card and said, "Don't feel bad, I've made my share of mistakes, too. I'm always being hunted down by someone or something that I've made mad. Take Sabretooth, for example, me and him have been fighting for years, but neither of us remembers why."  
  
I threw down my final card, and said, "I win." morning came and the door unlocked. 


	4. Sentinels

Chapter 4  
  
After the coast was clear, we snuck quietly out of the room. But, by now someone had found those guards we'd taken out, so our cover was about blown. We had to be careful, because they were ready for us now, and a mistake could cost us our lives.  
  
Wolverine led the way down the hallway, using his super senses to check for any lingering guards. All seemed peaceful enough; until we reached the room we'd been looking for. Then, I saw the most terrifying thing I had ever seen.  
  
In the center of the complex, there was a vast assembly of Sentinels. There must have been at least twenty there, and they had room to move around. This had to be the place where those stupid things went when they were done hunting us.  
  
Carefully, we worked our way through the mechanical crowd; certain not to touch them or do anything else that might start them up. Two one twenty is never fair, but this would be just plain ridiculous.  
  
We were halfway to the door when the guards came rushing in, guns ready. There was no way out, they had us trapped.  
  
So, we did like we planned: if we were going down, we would go down fighting and take as many of them with us as possible. They shot like mad men, not even bothering to aim. Wolverine and I took cover behind a Sentinel, using its thick armor as a shield from the bullets.  
  
When they stopped to reload, I made my move. I jumped forward, snatching the guns from two guards. Then, I shot my tongue out and disarmed another. I leveled two of my stolen weapons and shot the guards square in the heads, no mercy. This was not a situation where you could let your foes live.  
  
Wolverine also rushed in. He hadn't bothered to unleash his claws on them; he didn't need to. He punched two of them in the ribs, knocking the wind clear out of them. They fell to the floor quickly, and already five guards had been beaten.  
  
Then, I saw something we had missed. Wolverine and I had made a horrible mistake. One of them had run toward a door, and now I could see why. He was activating the Sentinels.  
  
Within seconds, the mechanical monsters came to life. Their sensors recognized us for what we were, and it was a whole new ball game. The guards retreated when Wolverine's claws came out. All bets were off now.  
  
I did what any reasonable guy would do: I fired like mad. Every single bullet hit the thing in the head, I emptied the clips on all three of my pilfered guns, and one Sentinel managed to fall, barely.  
  
"One down," I said.  
  
"And nineteen to go," Wolverine said, jumping up and cutting one of them opened. It fell apart into two pieces, and became little more than a pile of scrap.  
  
The Sentinels were now fully operational, and one shot a barrage of missiles at me. I jumped up to the ceiling, taking advantage of the rafters at the top. I swung and leaped around up there, leading the missiles along. Then, I dropped down toward the ground, guiding the missiles into the same Sentinel that had shot them.  
  
It was about then that they began using those cables of theirs. Wolverine and I jumped and ran to avoid the cables, hopping over some and rolling under others. Before long, three of the Sentinels were stuck and fell into each other, collapsing as they did so.  
  
I scooped up one of the cables and hopped around the feet of another Sentinel. I wrapped it nice and tight, making sure that the feet were not loose. Then, when I was done, I hopped up and dropkicked the metal behemoth. It fell like a ton of bricks.  
  
"We've got the advantage here," I said as I backed into Wolverine, "They don't fight well in cramped spaces like this. They're getting in their own way."  
  
"Yeah, that and they're really stupid," he said, cutting one of the cables apart with his claws. He leaped up and drove himself through one of them, using his claws to dig through the armor. It fell to the ground like the others.  
  
With the Sentinels all taken care of, it seemed that we could just walk through the front door. And so we did.  
  
We finally accessed the records in the main area of the Mutant Control Headquarters. It turned out that all of the mutants in the containment camps had been moved. And where had they been moved, you ask? To the Xavier Institute. Was this some kind of joke?  
  
"Why would they all be moved there?" I asked.  
  
"Not sure," Wolverine said. He scratched his claws together while he spoke, "But I plan on finding out. You with me?"  
  
I thought about it for a second and said, "Yeah, I've come this far, let's go." 


	5. The mansion

Chapter 5  
  
"That place has one of the most advanced security systems in the world," I said, a little nervous, "It won't be easy getting in there."  
  
"No Problem, we'll go and talk with a friend of mine," Wolverine said.  
  
"What kind of friend?" I asked.  
  
Wolverine led me into one of the worse parts of the city, where we went into a condemned building. He used his claws to cut down a few boards that had been nailed to the door.  
  
The building looked completely different on the inside. From the street, it looked like it was a minutes from falling down, with worn brick and broken windows. But, in here, it looked like a high-tech science lab. And, there was a man at work on a machine of some sort when we walked in the door.  
  
"Forge, we need your help," Wolverine said to him.  
  
The man looked up from his work and walked over to us. "Ah, Wolverine, what can I do for you?"  
  
"Who is this guy?" I asked. He didn't look familiar to me.  
  
"Forge here is a mutant. Really smart. We just stopped here for a little tech support so we could bust into the institute."  
  
"The institute? You sure you want to do that?" Forge asked, raising his eyebrows.  
  
"You bet we do. All we need is some weapons and a little hacking job. I don't want my own home attacking me while I try to save it," Wolverine said.  
  
"You got it, Wolverine. Take those weapons out of the back room. I'll be ready to hack Xavier's system in an hour."  
  
In an hour, Wolverine and I made our move toward the Xavier institute, where we would fight to save the other mutants. With any luck, one of them would be able o help us sort this whole mess out.  
  
And to think, I had been so evil before the humans started all of this. I wanted to destroy them so badly; because that was the only way I thought that we mutants could find peace on earth. But, I've come to realize after all of this time that attacking them was a bad idea, that maybe Xavier could have been right. If all mutants had used their powers to help mankind, we might have been accepted. But, it was too late for any of that now. All that mattered now was helping my people when they needed me the most, and I planned to do everything in my power to free them.  
  
No sooner had we hopped the fence, the defense lasers popped out of the ground. They began firing right away, but they didn't seem to know where we were. "Good, Forge hacked the system. That's one less problem for us to deal with," I said, jumping on top of one of the cannons.  
  
"Keep going. This system has a fail-safe. In about ten seconds, they'll be shooting right again, then we're sitting ducks," Wolverine shouted.  
  
No sooner had the words left his mouth, the lasers jumped to attention. "Crap," I said, hopping off of the laser. They were now shooting like mad, and they were pretty accurate. I hopped behind tree and between lasers trying to avoid the shots, and a lot of the property was damaged in the process. But, we got to the door safe enough.  
  
Our next challenge lay inside the mansion itself. No sooner had we crossed the threshold, metal security doors came slamming down, trapping us inside. Lasers came popping down out of the ceiling, all aimed and ready.  
  
The lasers began shooting. I jumped up, dodging the shots and rolled in mid- air. The lasers fired, but missed and hit each other. But, I hadn't been able to avoid all of the beams. One hit me in the leg, and I fell down hard.  
  
Wolverine rolled through, scooping me up as the lasers came shooting down. He cut his way through a security door and we were in another level of the mansion, what looked like a library.  
  
Wolverine set me down. "You should have been more careful," he said.  
  
"Yeah," I said, rubbing the wound on my leg, "easy for the indestructible guy to say. Us mortals have a bit more trouble surviving things like that."  
  
"Well, Shorty, it looks like you're out of commission for a while. I'll just have to get through here the rest of the way myself."  
  
I climbed to my feet, and almost fell to my knees; my leg hurt so much. "Like hell you are," I said, "I came this far, I'm not giving up now." I limped up to a door on the other side of the room, "I've been through worse than this, I'll manage. In fact, I'm feeling better already." I opened the door up, and walked through. Then, I fell about thirty feet.  
  
"You idiot!" Wolverine shouted, "That's the Danger Room!"  
  
Luckily, I landed on my feet. Although, it did hurt to land like that. My leg wouldn't fully recover for a little while, so I'd have to avoid long falls for now. Until hen, it was crucial that I got out of the Danger Room.  
  
But, It was too late. The room started up and holograms were activated. I was standing inside of a construction site. And, coming at me, was Juggernaut!  
  
He rushed forward, headfirst. No surprise there. Juggernaut was never much of a tactician. I easily jumped over him and swung myself up higher onto the rafters. Splat! I slimed Juggernaut in the face, although it didn't do a whole lot.  
  
Wolverine landed down beside me, "He's a robot, that slime won't do you any good," his claws came out of his hands, "Good thing that's not the real Juggernaut."  
  
He jumped down and dug his claws into our foes armor. The robot cut right in two, and showed itself for what it really was. But, before we could celebrate our victory, more robots appeared. This time, there was a horde of Sentinels.  
  
"You've got to be kidding," I said.  
  
"Someone must know that we're in here," Wolverine said. He used his claws to cut a robot to shreds. I drew a laser from my coat, one that Forge had given me for the mission. I fired it three times, vaporizing just as many Sentinels. The two of us continued until the next robot assailants appeared.  
  
This time, it was Nightcrawler and Sabretooth. I lunged on Nightcrawler, who hopped up on the rafters to avoid me. I continued in hot pursuit. We jumped and swung from rafter to rafter, and I felt bloodlust boil up inside me. I would rip him to pieces, if it was the last thing that I ever did!  
  
The robot teleported up high, but I was ready. With ease, I shot my tongue and grabbed its leg, pulling it back down to me. Then, I kicked it square in the head, knocking it back into a wall.  
  
The robot retaliated by lunging back on me, and we were in an air-brawl. We kicked and punched and pounded on each other until we hit the final set of rafters. Then, I kicked him off of me and shot slime out, hoping to pin his body to the wall.  
  
My foe, however, had other plans. He teleported away from my attack and counter-attacked with a sword, which I blocked with my laser. The laser fell to pieces, but I used the extra time it had bought me to rip the sword from Nightcrawler's hands and drive it through his skull. The hologram faded instantly, and the robot sizzled as it fell to the ground.  
  
Wolverine was having trouble of his own. The robot Sabretooth slammed him back into a wall, and he got kicked in the ribs before he could stand up. Wolverine raised his claws and jumped down on Sabretooth, but was caught and tossed back into a wall. Those claws just weren't going to get the job done this time.  
  
And the beating continued. Wolverine was beaten against walls and rails and even against the ground. Saretooth rushed in for the kill, Wolverine lying helpless on the ground. All looked lost.  
  
Then, Wolverine sprang to life at the last second, digging his claws into his robotic foe. Again, the robot collapsed into a pile of scrap. The holograms in the room faded. "The room must have lost power," Wolverine said, climbing to his feet, "They would have kept throwing those things at us, otherwise."  
  
"Yeah," I agreed, hopping down. I had taken the sword Nightcrawler had been using as my own. Never know when you'll need something like that again. And so we proceeded toward the door, until a man came in to greet us.  
  
"Hello, boys," he said calmly. 


	6. The leader

Chapter 6  
  
He was a large man, with thinning brown hair and intense green eyes. He wore a tweed suit and held his hands behind his back while he spoke like we were little children he was about to punish.  
  
"Who are you?" I asked.  
  
"I am Drake Peters, current leader of the Mutant Control Force," he answered. His voice boomed like he was on a loud speaker.  
  
"I allowed both of you to show up here, so that I may finish you once and for all."  
  
"Awful tough talk for a human," Wolverine said, his claws at the ready.  
  
"Well, you see, I am no ordinary human. I have discovered how to harness the power of mutants and use it for myself. Note, if you will, the control collars we put on all of our mutant prisoners. They are greatly modified by those used in Genosha, because they don't suppress a mutant's powers, they transmit them. In fact, I have an implant in my body right now that receives the signals from those collars. At any moment I choose, I may gain the powers of every mutant we have in captivity here"  
  
"Of course, I will have more power than you two have ever seen before, and likely will crush you both like bugs, but please, don't let me win, it will take the fun out of killing you."  
  
"Why would you do something like that?" I asked. For the former leader of an organization bent on conquering all of mankind, I didn't really understand the nature of evil.  
  
"Because, I can. It took many years of climbing my way up the political ladder, but I finally got to where I am today. Now, I will use my stolen powers to conquer the entire world. And, with this mansion as my home base, no one will ever be able to sneak up on me. I will rule with an iron fist, and crush all those who oppose me."  
  
Wolverine lunged forward, but it was too late. Drake snapped his fingers and activated the implant. He began to change. We were doomed. 


	7. Final battle

Chapter 7  
  
Drake grew bigger and bigger. His hair stood on end and turned white. His eyes turned red and fangs sprouted from his mouth. Black fur sprouted out of his skin, covering his entire body. Long claws emerged out of his fingers. When the transformation was complete, he let off an ear-piercing howl.  
  
Wolverine didn't have time to stop himself. He crashed into Drake, who had erected Colossus's armor around his body. His claws didn't even leave a scratch.  
  
I shot slime up into Drake's eyes, but he destroyed it with an optic blast, no doubt courtesy of Cyclops. Then, he raised his hands and shot two green energy blasts from them. I barely dodged, and the floor didn't make it.  
  
Wolverine jumped up again, this time meaning to claw out our enemy's eyes, but was deflected by an ice-blast. He was stuck to the wall like an icicle.  
  
It was all up to me. I hopped around the room, using the walls as a path. Drake followed along with all three of his laser attacks. I managed to keep ahead until he had cut the Danger Room completely in half and the ceiling was falling down on us. Flames flew up around the area.  
  
Then, those same flames came jumping to life! Drake was using Pyro's power now to attack me with the fire, which had taken the shape of a giant spider. It shot flaming webs down on me, and I was being more boxed in by the second.  
  
I hopped out of the Danger Room, followed closely by Drake. Wolverine had been melted out of the ice, and was now following him. The spider was right on top of me.  
  
Then, I hopped through the kitchen, and grabbed the hose on the sink. I used it to blast back the spider, evaporating it to nothing. However, Drake soon took it's place, and I was forced to retreat back out into the yard.  
  
Immediately, the lasers locked onto me. They began to fire very quickly, and I was forced to maneuver around them. I flipped backwards, right over Drake. The lasers pummeled him and wore the armor down a lot. This only lasted a few seconds, because he vaporized them with his eyes.  
  
What am I going to do? I wondered. This guy had every possible advantage, and I couldn't find a weakness.  
  
Then, it came to me. I jumped and kicked the guy in the head, fully aware that it would do no damage. The only reason that I did it was because I needed the leverage for my jump.  
  
I flew through the air, landing neatly through a mansion window. Where is it? I thought. I hopped through the mansion, searching for the controls I needed.  
  
Then, I found it, in what looked like the old science lab. There was a computer inside, one that had files connected to every mutant ever captured listed on it. As quickly as I could, I hacked into the system, until I found the remote override for the collars. Then, I switched them off and let the magic happen.  
  
Outside, the giant had continued to rush at me. But, it was too late now. His body was shrinking and the powers were fading, going right back to their original owners. Drake collapsed on the ground; I suppose the powers were a bit too much for his body. It looked like it was finally over.  
  
A year has passed since then. Now, I've cleaned up my act (And my body, for that matter) and joined the X-men. In fact, I've become a professor at the Institute. Currently, I'm dating Storm, who can really live up to her nickname, if you get my drift. Wolverine and me are pretty good friends now, and play poker with Gambit and Cyclops every Saturday night.  
  
As for the rest of the Brotherhood, they've moved on without me. Magneto even built a second Asteroid M, where he now provides shelter to all mutants who seek it. They haven't had any problems this time around. Xavier wiped clean the minds of everyone in the world, so that they would never remember the Mutant Control movement. Only Mutants remember that it ever happened.  
  
My classes are great. I teach hand-to-hand combat, which can be useful if you don't have very offensive powers. A few girls in class seem to have a crush on me, which makes Storm a little uncomfortable. After classes, I'm also a lifeguard at the pool, which I think is a little ironic. Things couldn't get any better. 


End file.
